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LMPD Officer Charles Ennis, right, chats with Walmart Asset Protection Associate Jennifer Reynolds, left, after they were able to recover items from detained a shoplifting suspect on Dixie Hwy. The suspect was accused of taking items from the nearby Walmart. Sam Upshaw Jr.; The C-J

LMPD Officer Charles Ennis receives information about a domestic dispute as he drives along Dixie Hwy. during his shift at the Third Division. Ennis, 50, fulfilled his dream of becoming a police officer last year. Sam Upshaw Jr.; The C-J

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LMPD Officer Charles Ennis receives information about a domestic dispute as he drives along Dixie Hwy. during his shift at the Third Division. Ennis, 50, fulfilled his dream of becoming a police officer last year.(Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr.; The C-J)Buy Photo

Ennis, a former body builder, is a hulking 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds. His sister said he has always been strong, often wrestling with his cousins as a teen. She said his strength and disposition are a great fit for his new profession.

"He's hardcore 'Do the right thing,'" she said. "But he's a good listener. You can see him evaluating everything and he will process it before he speaks."

Chief Steve Conrad said the department doesn't have an age limit and there have been other recruits as old as Ennis, including another recruit in Ennis' class in his 50s.

"The essence of the job is working with people," the chief said. "I think life skills and being able to talk with people are important skills you don't necessarily get early in life."

Ennis - a divorced father of four adult children - is older than his supervisor, Sgt. Russ Miller, who at age 45 has 14 years of experience.

“It’s so challenging and a lot of fun," Ennis said. "There's always something to learn.

"You’re always thinking about what you should have done, what you could have done better."

Ennis is the oldest of 30 officers in the Third Division's Third Platoon, working from afternoon until around midnight. Most are under age 25, and the youngest is 22.

“I think they probably see how calm he can be when they come to a scene,” Miller said. “I think his life experience allows him to have compassion. He definitely has patience."

In less than a year on the job, Ennis has already handled many challenging incidents involving the mentally ill, seriously injured motorists, missing children and drug-addicted adults.

"Chasing the bad guys is what you see on TV," Miller said. "A lot of what police do nowadays is helping the community, preventing crime before it happens."

When a nine-year-old girl called for help after her mother overdosed on heroin and turned blue, Ennis rushed in and brought the woman back to life with a combination of CPR and naloxone, a heroin antidote.

Ennis, who grew up in Louisville, worked in construction for years in roofing, masonry, sheet metal work and commercial truck driving. He also worked as a corrections officer at the local jail for five years but longed to be a cop patrolling the streets.

"You're a lot more engaged with the community, which I like," he said of police work.

He acknowledges it was tiring trying to keep up with younger recruits during some training exercises, including running around a block before darting up 17 flights of steps.

But he has kept in fighting shape by lifting weights and eating a healthy diet that includes a lot of organic vegetables and fruits.

"I can't make a claim that I'm just as vibrant now as I was at 21," Ennis said. "But I feel good and I'm not washed up yet."

Reporter Beth Warren can be reached at 502-582-7164 or bwarren@courier-journal.com